Ashes To Ashes
by MaydayCap'n
Summary: It's been three years since the incident with Pitch, and The Guardians have had little troubles with his nightmares. But the death of one girl could tip all the peace overboard. Pitch wasn't done yet... ( Jack x OC. Rated T for language, maybe, and most likely later content.))
1. Scene 1

It was… Cold… Cold and dark and I couldn't do anything. It felt like my whole body was simply defying my urgent demands to move and that a knife had pierced my skull with undying hatred and that hate bled into my conscious and my soul and it burned.

"Help… "I choked into the nothingness. I couldn't even remember how I got there. I wondered how long I had to be like this; how long I had to be like nothingness.

"Help you?" I gasped when the purr of a voice touched my ears. "With what, little pumpkin?" It continued, and I was almost elated- if I wasn't still in immense pain. I wanted to speak, but no words came out; the pain was choking me. Or something else was…

"Oh, I know! You don't want to die?" It stated matter-of-factly. I… Was dead? I _died? _Then, am I in hell? Wha-

"Hold on, little pumpkin, I'll help you. Just a moment!" I gasped again, slightly quieter than before but more sharply. It would help me? With what?! It was just some man's voice! And I was dead! At least, I believed I was… Who was the voice? And what were they doing in the darkness? What if he was dead too, and was just making my afterlife even _more _miserable? What if-

Suddenly, the tingling feeling of my body itched up my legs, waist, through my chest and to my fingertips and I watched in awe as my body suddenly materialized below me. I floated down and touched the solid flooring of… Something. I collapsed to my hands and knees, gripping my head because the pain wasn't gone. The darkness lifted away like ripped ribbons and I could see that I was in some sort of old, stone cavern that had birdcages everywhere. I wanted to stand, but the pain in my head was increasing and I whimpered softly.

"Oh, sh, little pumpkin." A soft hand rested on my head, and I willed my eyes to look up and see a man with the look of a compassionate parent. He was tall, I could tell, even if he was squatting to be at my level. He was dressed in just black. Like, black shirt, pants, and cloak, and had a hair color to match. "Does it still hurt?" He inquired, caressing my head kindly. I nodded, letting out a slight squeak when the pain worsened. He had such a kind and welcoming voice and I wondered who he was.

"Here, then." He said softly, and he rolled me onto my back (I had been on my side) and placed a hand on my forehead. "This'll hurt for just a moment." He chimed and if I had had time to ask why, trust me, I would've because where his hand was, exploded into furious pain even worse than the one before. I screamed, and gripped his arm, trying to remove it.

"Oh no, don't fight it little pumpkin. Accept it! Fear is nothing to be afraid of." He chuckled darkly, and smiled like the Chesire. My head felt like it was about to explode, but where his fingertips were, it felt like something was seeping in. The hateful pain that had been in my mind had been replaced with cold, hard, quivering fear and nightmares. Horrible images passed through my eyes and I screeched, not just out of pain, but ultimate horror at what was happening, and I sobbed loudly, ripping agitatedly at the man's arm. "Almost done." He purred, using his other hand to close my eyes and I fell into unconsciousness.

It was sunny at the North Pole, and it had been rather uneventful. It was two days after Christmas, and it was a good, long, relaxed day- something Mr. Claus definitely needed. It was almost three years after Pitch had tried to take over the world with his nightmares, and the Guardians met occasionally and had few problems with nightmares. It was calm and nice and-

"MR. CLAUS!" The old man spun around in his chair and away from his window to see one of the elves gasping to breathe.

"What is it? Can't you see that I'm busy?" The man bellowed, his thick accent dripping with annoyance.

"The… The… The globe… A… A child… It's…" The elf gasped, leaning on the door for support.

"What about a child? What's happened?" The man was suddenly worried and stood, walking over to the elf and out of his office. The elf grabbed his hand and lead around to the other side of the globe, pointing shakily to a dot. Now, there was still a dot, so the child still believed- but it was black. Not gold, not shiny, but black and slightly smoking.

"Good God… What?..." The man exclaimed, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Contact the other Guardians. Tell them Pitch might be back."

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Because I evidently don't have enough stuff to do on the internet. Deal with it))


	2. Scene 2

The sound of children laughing awoke me. My eyes fluttered open to see the dome shaped ceiling of a gazebo and the cute paintings on it.

"It… Was a dream?" I murmured, sitting up. My head still ached a bit, but not very badly. I looked around and found I was in the middle of a park, watching kids and parents talk and play. 'What a weird dream… " I said, slowly standing up.

"Not a dream, little pumpkin. A _nightmare._ Don't you know the difference?" I gasped and frantically looked around, panic gripping at my heart. "Don't bother, I'm not there. I'm just a little voice inside your head.~ Did you like my little trick? You should have seen your face." He snickered in my mind. I covered my ears, softly praying to God that I was still having a nightmare. "Do you like the dress? I thought it'd be better if we matched.~" I looked down at myself and saw a black, beautiful, satin and lace dress. I liked it, but no way in hell would I admit it to him.

"Who are you- and what do you want?" I stated, hoping I sounded braver than I felt.

"Pitch, and all I want you to do is play a little game with Jack Frost." Pitch replied in a sing-song voice. Jack Frost? As in 'Jack Frost nipping at your nose', Jack Frost? He was joking right?

"Uh, one, Jack Frost isn't real, and two, what did you do to me?" I protested, looking at my arms. Soft black designs were tattooed onto my pale skin and they seemed to be smoking, like they weren't really even skin.

"Oh, just a little trick I found. I wanted to test it, and poor little ol' you were literally begging to be the one to be tested on! And, Jack Frost is very much real. And so is Santa Claus, and the Toothfairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman. Newsflash!" He cackled in my ears, and I hated it. I wanted him out. If he was going to talk to me, he better do it in person.

"I… Wasn't asking for this! And… I know that the Toothfairy and Saint Nick are real- but the Easter Bunny? And who's the Sandman?" I asked, forgetting what was going on for a moment.

"I'll tell you all about it later, but I need you to do a little favor for me. See those kids on the swings?" He suddenly sounded very commanding, and all I could was oblige.

"Uh, yeah…"

"Go over to them, now." He demanded. I flinched.

"Why-"

"_NOW."_

I dashed off of the gazebo, and came to a halt at the edge of the swing set. "Now, I want you to walk through the middle, I need to test something." I blinked. He was joking right? These kids were swinging pretty fast and both had on tennis shoes. I wasn't really in the mood to get kicked in the face, at the moment.

"But, they'll ki-"

"_JUST STOP ARGUING WITH ME." _I yelped and collapsed against the swing set, gripping my chest. It felt like someone had punched the breath out of me, and I gasped, holding back a whimper. After a moment, I stood of my own and carefully stepped into the line of fire. I was about to step out of the way of the descending child, but I was frozen in place. I braced myself for impact, covering my face, and I waited… For a while. I looked up just in time to see the child pass straight through me, no problem. I was speechless, in awe, and horrified.

"Wh… What?..." I choked out. He snickered," Good. I was hoping that would happen. Now, do you see the old man sitting on the bench?" I looked behind me, and yes, I did. He was asleep, and , it was the strangest thing, there were small golden figures dancing above his head.

"Go on, walk over and sit next to him." I looked down, and lifted a foot, finding I wasn't frozen anymore. I jumped out of the swing set and back away slowly, turning to the old man. I walked up and sat next to him, staring at the golden figures and discovering they were made of sand.

"Touch the sand, please." Pitch sounded impatient, and probably was hoping I didn't ask why. I didn't. I reached up, hesitating to poke the dancing sand figures. It was vague, but I could tell in was a man in a suit dancing with a beautiful woman in a ball gown. I touched it.

The sand melted into black smoke, still holding the image, but spawning two other buff men that came along and dragged the woman away, leaving the suited man to chase after her. I gasped in shock and scooted away as I watched the man stir uncomfortably in his sleep and I witnessed the horrible scenes unfurling over his head.

"Haha! Perfect! You can cause nightmares! Ohoho, I should have done this three years ago…" I stood up and stepped away from the man as he awoke with a start, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"What…. What did you make me _do_?" I whispered.

"Congratulations! You caused your first nightmare! Your prize? Jack Frost. Good luck, little pumpkin." He spoke the last part coldly and I didn't understand until an icicle shot into my arm. I grabbed it and winced in pain and shock as what looked like black tar seeped from the wound.

"GAH, what the…" I looked up, meeting a gaze with a white haired boy crouching in a tree, pointing a staff at me. He looked irritated, and glared at me very accusingly.

"Who are you? You aren't Pitch, and you aren't an actual nightmare, so how did you?..." He pointed to the old man that was still sitting on the bench, silently crying. I just stared at him, too stunned to say anything. He was attractive, actually, and very slim. He wore a basic blue hoodie and dark tan jeans.

He narrowed his eyes at me, jumping down from the tree and slowly walking towards me. I stepped back. He saw. Oh God, he thinks _I_ did that! Well I did, but it wasn't really _me._

"I, uh, uhm…" I stuttered, suddenly very afraid. Who was _he?_

"I asked you a question- who. Are. You?" He took a big step closer to me and pointed his staff in my face. The staff glowed white and was covered in thin ice. Wait… Could he be?...

"Jack Frost?..." I murmured, going wide-eyed and staring at him. He blinked confusedly at me.

"What?" He asked, genuinely confused. I wasn't going to stick around see what he could do, so I did the most sensible thing at the time.

I ran away. I turned and high-tailed down the street, glancing over my shoulder to see he'd given chase.

"SANDY, CATCH HER!" I heard Jack yell. Who was Sandy? I was answered by something wrapping around my ankle and pulling me back. I face-planted into the concrete, and groaned, lifting my head to look at my ankle. A thin, golden rope was gripped around it, and was beginning to pull me around a corner. I screamed angrily and sat up, tugging at the rope. It was made of the same golden sand that the old man had above his head! I was pulled into an alley way and saw a short, plump kid with spiky gold hair- well, everything about him was gold and he was made out of almost entirely sand. He nodded to something behind me when he had successfully pulled me in, and I was shoved into a sack. Lovely.


	3. Scene 3

I watched the yetis shove the girl into one of North's stuffing bags, leaning on my staff. She was confusing. She could give nightmares- obviously-, people, as far as I could tell, couldn't see her, and she had those weird markings all over her arms. Pitch couldn't change forms, so no way it would be him. I cringed. Pitch pretending to be a teenage girl? Can you spell _creepy_? Besides, Pitch didn't run from me. He hated me. He would've fought me until the end of time.

A small tug of my arm snapped me from my thoughts. I looked down at Sandy, who was looking at me expectantly.

'The orb?' He questioned. I knew he didn't talk, but his little communication images had begun to make more and more sense to me. It was like talking to a deaf person, you just had to get used to it and it made sense. I pulled out a globe from my jacket pocket, one North had actually given to me to use instead of me stealing it. I tossed it and opened the jump portal, letting the yetis go first with the bagged girl. Sandy went next, and I floated after, making sure it closed when I was through.

...

"Oh, North, you can't keep her in a bag! She is still a little girl, even if she's evil!" Tooth had been trying to convince North all afternoon to let the girl go, but he hadn't budged a bit. He _knew_ she was Pitch's and if he wanted her back, he'd have to ask.

"Oh Jack, tell him, please!" Tooth turned to me and fluttered up to sit next to me on a beam in the ceiling.

"I dunno, Tooth. She gave a poor old man a really bad nightmare. I watched her. It was…" I paused, recalling the horrifying moment when the girl had touched the man's dream," horrible. She gave him one so bad, he cried. I don't think it's a good idea." I reasoned, shrugging a bit and looking away from the fairy's saddened face. I didn't like seeing her so upset. It unnerved everyone when Tooth was sad. "But, North, it wouldn't hurt for a minute or two." I chirped, giving the older man a sheepish look. He thought about it for a moment, and wondered if I should've taken it back.

"Fine, but only for a minute. I do have a few questions." North replied eventually and Tooth sighed happily. He waved a signaling hand to the Yeti's at his office door and they went out to retrieve the girl from one of the abandoned toymaker buildings.

"Oh, I wonder what she'll say! Or do… What if we frightened her? What if she asks us to forgive her?" Tooth began rambling off questions, but I ignored her, pulling my knees up to my chest and staring at my staff. I thought about what I had seen earlier.

The girl had definitely given the old man a nightmare, but when she did; her face was just as confused and horrified as mine. I remembered she had gotten up and backed away, like she had just been told something horrible. It could be a play, but… What if it wasn't? And if it wasn't, how did she know what to do and why was she so horrified? Her face was so soft and curious before she touched the dream… Who was she? She hadn't said anything to me when I asked her and all she did try to say came out as a stutter. Was she-

The Yetis barge it, carrying the bag with them. They dropped the bag and a muffled yelp came from within the thick satin bag. North hesitantly walked up and untied the bag, opening it a bit. He was leaning far back, as if he expected the girl to jump out like a jack-in-the box. But nothing. No hand, head, or anything. North leaned in closer and opened the bag a bit more.

"You alive in there?" He asked, nervous. A soft reply came from within the bag, too quiet for me to hear. Tooth and I jumped off the beam, landed down next to the bag. I wanted to ask where Bunny was - and Sandy-, but that was probably a question for later. North asked something else, directly into the bag. I wanted to smack him upside the head and I could see Tooth did too; the child wasn't a feral snake. North pulled his face out of the bag and looked at me and Tooth.

"She won't say anything." He said, looking irritated and a bit disappointed. I took the bag top from him, opening it up all the way and letting it wall to the ground. The girl was curled up in a tight ball, hands and arms covering her face. She was shaking and making soft whimpering noises.

"Oh dear… poor thing. Probably scared out of your mind." Tooth sympathized, kneeling down next to the girl to stroke her hair. The girl whack Tooth's hand away and Tooth and I gasped. The girl peeked up at us through parted fingers and whimpered quietly, quickly curling herself up even more than before- if that was even possible. Was she actually afraid? Or just trying to make us let our guard down? I squatted and poked her with the end of my staff.

"Yo, dude. Get up. We aren't going to eat you." I said, trying to act cool. She said nothing and only scooted away. I looked up at North and Tooth and the shrugged at me, giving me the 'You're her age, try again.' Look. I sighed and poked her again.

"Sorry about shoving you into a sack. North wanted to make sure you didn't hurt anyone while we brought you here. We just wanted to ask you a few questions. Do you know who Pitch is?" I asked, trying to see he face. A reaction; she slowly uncovered her face and looked at me with wide, dark purple eyes. I took a moment t notice any features about her. Dark reddish-auburn hair pulled into a messy but cute side braid, and a laced dress that I was guessing went down to her knees and black satin gloves. She wasn't super desperately unique, but she was definitely cute.

"Do you?" I asked again. I almost fell onto my back because she leapt up grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her, her eyes practically popping out her skull with fear.

"H-help me…" She gasped, and acted like she was about to say something else when he face became suffused with pain and she screamed, falling onto her side and gripping her chest.

"Oh Goodness!" Tooth exclaimed, flying back a few feet. North quickly got on his knees and covered her mouth, looking her straight in the eyes. "Calm down, NOW. What's wrong? If your messing with us…" He warned and she tried t shake her head. She stopped her muffled screaming after a moment, but was shaking violently and I knew she was still in pain. She had scared the living hell out of me and my God, did she have a vocal range. North removed her hand and she attempted for a total minute to get her lips to speak; it was almost like she was being strangled.

"Pitch," She finally managed to rasp out, "H-he's-s… Choking… Me…" She fell into another fit of pain and clawed mercilessly at North's arm. All I could do was gape in shock. Pitch was choking her? How? His shadow wasn't here- I looked around to check- and he definitely wasn't in the room. So how? How could he be choking her?

"No…" I looked at North, whose face was just as astonished as mine, but much more fearful. "he couldn't have… He…" I looked back at the girl just to see her gasp one more time before rolling her eyes back and falling unconscious. North stood, his face very serious now.

"Yolly, yam, take this girl to one of my spare quarters and watch her like a hawk. I need to call Bunny off work." He said, storming out of the room, two of the yetis trailing with the unconscious child.

"What on earth was that Tooth?" I looked at her, standing up. She shook her head.

"Something us Guardians were hoping Pitch wouldn't discover for a long time."


	4. Scene 4

It was warm. I was yet again in darkness, but instead of perpetual frigidness; it was warm. I moved slightly, and discovered I was once again bodiless and just a conscious.

"_Just what did you think you were doing?_" I flinched- well I would've. He was mad about what I ad gasped out in the last few moments of my 'wakeness, I knew it.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired, pretending to be innocent. I was getting tired very quickly of the darkness and I longed to see something.

"_That little comment you made._ _If you utter another word about anything, so help me I will not hesitate to make your life painful enough to drive you _mad._ Is that perfectly clear?"_ I wanted to shrink into the nothingness around me. I wanted to become part of it; I wanted to be _anything _but me at that moment.

"Y-yes…"

"Good. Now, little pumpkin, one more chance. I've come up with a plan- NO QUESTIONS, PLEASE- and you had better follow along, or I'll make _you _a nightmare."

"M-mhm…" I felt as helpless as a lamb in the way of a lion. It was almost as if he found it amusing, and what did he mean by _making me a nightmare?_

"I need you, once you wake up, to pretend like there's nothing wrong, and you've forgotten everything that happened before you lost it. I need a way to get rid of Jack, since he's the only thing that stands in my way. Him and his stupid _fun." _I heard him hiss in my ear, much like the growl of a feral and starving wolf.

"T-trick him? But I-I do-" I began, wishing to explain how I wasn't sure on how to do so.

"_STOP WITH THE QUESTIONS_- If I feel you need to know something, I will tell you! For God's sake, just shut up a _listen_, okay? You are my servant and are to do my bidding without defiance or rebellion. Just trick Jack into telling you anything about himself or, well… You know… Whatever." Pitch bellowed angrily, and before I could even respond, I was whipped from the darkness and my eyes flew open to see half of a blanket covering my eyes.

'Trick Jack? How cliché and childish." I commented to myself, snickering slightly. I bit my tongue and stared at the ceiling. That was weird. It felt uncomfortable to be rude. Even if Pitch was horrible and terribly abusive, I felt faulty and mean if I were to insult him. Almost… No better.

I looked at my surroundings, taking in that I was in a rather fluffy bed in a very plushly furnished room. The only dim light came from a fireplace placed in the middle of the left wall next to what seem to be a wardrobe. It was all mainly red fabrics with gold or silver in them and dark, mahogany wood.

Right as my eyes landed on the door, it flung open, scaring me half to death. I yelped and dove under the covers, hoping to God they weren't going to bombard me with questions. I didn't want to lie to them, even if they were strangers. I whimpered when a hand slipped under the covers to pull them down past my face, and I was met with a very plump, golden, san- wait! He was that little boy (or guy, I wasn't sure now that I saw him up close) that had roped me. He glared at me, folding his arms. The large man who had stuck his head in the bag I was oh so un-ceremonially stuffed into, walked in, flicking on the lights, followed by a very pretty bird-fair-girl person, the boy with the staff, and a kangaroo… I think.

"Seems our little nightmare-child's woken up." The kangaroo snorted, looking at me with disgust. I shrunk down into the bed. I wanted to die, they were making me so nervous. The bird girl looked at the weird creature with a annoyed look, countering him," Be quiet, Bunny. We've scared her and we don't know if she actually did anything on her own terms." That seemed to shut up the kangaroo.

"So, girl, are you still in pain?" I looked to the large man who had his arms folded, making the tattoos on them painfully obvious. _Naughty _and _Nice _were permanently plastered on his lower arms.

"Uh… Uhm… N-no…" I murmured, feeling like a water-balloon being sat on by an elephant under their gazes.

"That's good. Now, can you tell us why you were in pain?" He asked, his voice becoming softer as he sat in a plush chair.

I opened my mouth t respond, but caught myself, remembering what Pitch had said. "No…" I finally uttered, hating myself. He looked disappointed.

"Can you tell us how you caused the nightmare at the park? Or how it is that you cannot be seen or touched by others and yet you aren't a Guardian or spirit?" He pressed, losing the soft voice quickly. I looked away and instead to the boy in the hoodie.

"No." I replied again, having a stare down with the hoodie boy. Oh, wait… That's right… I think he's Jack Frost… I looked him over again and noted he was sprinkled with ice and snowflakes.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm… But, I… I was wondering…" I looked away when Jack realized I wasn't staring at just his eyes anymore.

"What?" A glint of hope sparked in the man's voice.

"Who are you guys?" I asked sheepishly.

They all looked at me with surprise and disbelief.

"You're joking." The kangaroo gasped, laughing awkwardly. I shook my head, feeling even more awkward.

Jack spoke for the first time, holding his gaze on me," The kangaroo is the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Santa, and the Sandman. And I'm-"

"Jack Frost." I said, but instead of the words coming out normally, some other cold voice spoke them for me and I covered my mouth. What was that? Why did it sound so malicious? Was Pitch making it like this? Will it happen if I say it again? God, I was so nervous, I was sure they could hear my heartbeat.

He narrowed his eyes at me, catching the tone but understanding why," Yeah… Jack Frost…"

"I… Nevermind…" I started to apologize, but caught myself. I wasn't sure what Pitch wanted me to do, and I didn't know if he wanted me to be kind or not. They all looked at each other weirdly. Nobody knew what to ask me or say. I was sure they'd never been in this situation before.

" Uhm… Do I have to stay in here? I actually feel a little claustrophobic…"I asked, knowing the implied request to venture would probably be denied. I looked to Santa, trying to appear as harmless and helpless as I felt. At first, he looked as though he was going to do what I expected him to do, but then his eyes sparked.

"Of course! You may wander if you'd like." All the others looked like they almost swallowed their tongues and they all looked to him in utter horror- even the Toothfairy.

"What?!" Jack sputtered, and Santa stood, ushering them out. "We'll be back in a minute to let you out. Just give us a moment." The door slammed and I sat up, holding my arms and pulling my feet up. I stared into the fire and wondered how long I'd be like this- locked up or tortured. Eventually, the door was opened and a very irritated Jack stood there with Santa.

"You may wander, as long as Jack comes with you." Santa nodded. He looked between us, smiled, and walked off.

Oh good God no.

...

NOTE- Sorry it took so long, you guys! I can't believe it! So many reviews and followers! I'm glad you all like it so much :)


	5. Scene 5

I wanted to freeze his tattoos off his blubber-infested body; I wanted to fling him out of the sleigh while warping; I wanted to take all his stupid toys and break them; I wanted to freeze North Pole over when Christmas came- I was so mad! North had _seriously_ allowed her to step out of supervision?! I don't count! I am not a babysitter!

I fumed silently, wanted to push her off the edge of the balcony we were on, and the uncomfortable glances at me told me she knew it. I knew North wanted to see if I could get anything out of her since, apparently, everyone thinks being close to the same maturity age or something _instantaneously _makes you best of friends. How stupid was that? As if the bra-

"I know you're all upset with me…" I was shocked from my thoughts and I jumped a bit when she spoke. She had been so quiet the last hour…

"What?"

"I know you all are _really_ mad at me but," She looked at me, moving to hold her forearms nervously ", I really don't understand anything that's going on… I'm really confused…" She chirped, her voice getting even more nervous with every syllable. She's a good actor.

"That's the understatement of the past 30 centuries." I growled, looking away from her and out to the snowy mountains. The air got colder.

"Jack…" She said softly. "I promise I didn't do it on purpo- ACK!" I whipped my head to look at her and she was doubled over on the floor, gripping the balcony railing. I quickly jumped off the railing and knelt next to her, hesitating to put a hand on her back.

"Oh, again? Are you okay, or are you just trying to make me lose my guard?" I wasn't sure if I should've been worried or suspicious.

"I'm sorry…" She choked, gripping her stomach. "Just stop… Please…" She murmured even quieter. I almost didn't even hear her.

"Wait, what?" I said, my eyes widening. She obviously wasn't talking to me, so could it be?... Was she?... She finally sprung back up, obviously still in pain, but biting it back.

"No, I'm fine… I just, uh, I get sick on heights sometimes, that's all…" Liar. A _really bad _liar.

"Sure… Okay.." I said, eyeing her suspiciously. She leaned against the railing, still wincing in pain. After a moment of staring at her, I copied the same, only I was practically sitting on it. This was going to be a long day.

... 2 hours laturrrrr...

We were walking around the stables for the reindeer, and I was watching her fawn over the deer and pet them. How weird; for a nightmare, she wasn't very frightening. She was so confusing. One minute she's giving nightmares, the next she's having weird pain convulsions and having affections for snooty reindeer. But there was just one thing… One thing I wanted to know and that I'm sure nobody had even thought to ask her, despite its dire importance.

"What's your name?"

"What?" She whipped around to look at me.

"Your name? What is it?" For the billionth time, she looked stumped and totally lost.

"Uhmmmm… Uh…" She looked around frantically.

You had to be kidding me. She really didn't know her name? Now I _know _she's lying. I was about to call the BS, but then is stopped. I guess, it wasn't surprising. When I was first made a spirit/Guardian, I didn't know my name. The Moon had to tell me. If she's new, which would explain why we've never seen her, then she probably doesn't remember.

"You don't know?" I said, raising an eyebrow. She shuffled her feet awkwardly and nodded.

"I don't…" She muttered. She was unbelievably awkward and confusing. I sighed. I guess I could try North's tactic and be nice to her.

"I suppose… You'll have to be named then. We can't just call you 'girl'." I said, looked away, not wanting to show any sort of real caring.

"Really? You're going to name me?" She said, and I glanced at her for a moment to see she was both happy and confused. "I thought you were upset with me…" She said, pouting a bit. I flushed. She was… Actually really adorable when she looked upset like that.

WAIT. Did I just call her _adorable?_ Jack! Get ahold of yourself! Now is NOT the time to be a ladies man, okay?!

"Erhm, y-yeah. I still am mad at you!" I lied, "but you can't go around nameless… So I guess, since I'm your babysitter, it's kinda my job, sorta." I stuttered. She definitely noticed my embarrassment and shuffled her feet again.

"Okay… Go ahead, I suppose." She replied softly.

It felt weird. Naming an actual human being. I didn't know a thing about her, really, and aren't names based off personality or talents? What kind of name did she look like? I studied her again, taking in her looks. She was short, I could tell much better now and my guess on the knee-length dress was right. Her hair was her most stunning feature, but so were her eyes. Both brilliant shades of color and very obvious. Her eyes were a purple- wait… No… There weren't just purple anymore. Slivers of gold were just barely visible around her iris. I'm pretty sure she didn't have them a few hours ago… Strange. Really strange.

"Well?" She insisted, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, uhm… I guess… Angelea?" I suggested off the top of my head. I remembered hearing the name once in a hospital and thought it fitting for her. I wasn't sure why.

"Angelea?" She inquired, tilting her head. "Why that?" I flushed. I couldn't just tell her it was because I felt it was _fitting_, how stupid would that be?

"I-I don't know! I was just thinking of names okay?! Sorry if it's lame!" I huffed, turning away from her.

"I think… It's fine, thank you, Jack." Godammit, why was she so confusing?!

...EDIT...

I know it's kinda lame, but her name struck me and I was like," has anyone even noticed she hasn't got a name?!_' " But next chapter will be more interesting, I swear x3


	6. Scene 6

If there was any word in the world to explain the feeling between us as we walked around for the rest of the day, it'd be awkward. Very, very awkward. In fact, if we just hadn't tried to make conversation, we might've just been able to grudge through the day and not be insanely weird when he walked me back to my new room.

"So yeah… Look, I'm not one to walk around like that, so next time, ask TF or Bunny. I prefer to be alone." Jack had said for maybe the millionth time. As if I didn't already feel bad. We awkwardly stood at the door, avoiding each others' glances.

"O-okay. Good night I guess." I squeaked, wanting so badly for it to end. He looked at me, his gaze suddenly becoming extremely cold and distant.

"I hope so. With you here and all." He briskly turned and stormed away, leaving me there, staring wide-eyed into nothingness.

'WAHAHAHAHAHAHA' I flinched very violently at the sound of his voice in my head. I scurried into my room and shut the door, being snapped from my pained thoughts.

'Now THAT was entertaining! God, I should have thought of this years ago! I have only seen Jack make that expression when he was about to freeze my nightmares! That was _GREAT!_" Pitch cackled and I jumped into my bed, shuffling under the covers, hoping his voice would go away. He didn't need to rub salt in the wound…

'Despite the hilarity, that wasn't what I had planned for you to do! And what did I say about mentioning me? Or anything relative to being regretful?' He hadn't said anything about that. Liar. Jerk. Bully. As-

'Ohohoho, mad at me, hm?' I screeched, but bit my lip, not wanting to draw attention. I curled up under the covers. It was my head now. Not my stomach or chest. My temples. It felt like my head was in a crusher set on high. 'Oh, little Pumpkin, Sorry, that wasn't on purpose. It's just the nightmares. Eventually, you won't have them anymore, and you won't defy me…' He muttered the last part. What was all this about nightmares, anyways? And all the fairytale people?! He said he'd tell me…

'That's right! I did forget to tell you! Well, if you must know, little pumpkin,' he purred and my head soothed,' my name is Pitch Black, or the Boogieman, heh. I specialize in nightmares and fear, which you had a lot of before our death.' I gasped. Before I died? He knew who I was, then! May-

'Nope. No questions about yourself. How conceited are you?' He scolded. I didn't say or think anything. 'Anyways, pumpkin, Jack Frost is obviously the Guardian of Fun, Toothfairy is the Guardian of Memories and, blech, priorities or something. Sandy is the Guardian of Dreams, the Easter Asshole is the Guardian of Hope and the fat man is the Guardian of Wonder and Belief.' I honestly didn't understand. What did he mean, Guardian?

'Oh, you are so cute with your obliviousness. The Guardians are a group of spirits dedicated to protecting to children.'

"What?..."

'Ridiculous, huh? Keeps me from my own happiness. That's why I need _you._ With you, I don't have to leave the safety of my little hole and you are the on in the line of fire! Hahaha, seems so cruel, but right now, you're one of the main things keeping me still here. You're afraid and believe in me! It's so wonderful to be believed in~'

He wanted to be believed in? So he actually had a childish, normal desire? Strange. Pitch was mean, but he had a center of some sort. Something he wanted. I wonder why he doesn't like Jack specifically…

'Jack Frost,' he hissed, 'ruined my one big chance of taking over the world with my nightmares! Kept me from my happiness… Jack Frost is nothing but a heartless, dream thief. You can see that, right?' Pitch urged. Jack had been kinda rude to me all day. If I tripped he yelled at me for being clumsy; if I stepped on the back of his ankle, he'd call me names; if I lagged behind, he'd drag me roughly by my hand. But, Pitch was clearly not very good at picking manipulation tactics. He kept switching, and making me even MORE confused.

"I guess so… but it was only because I gave that nightmare… Pitch… What did you do to me?" A long pause before the dark voice infiltrated my small mind again. It's cold voice piercing my skull, sending shivers down my spine. His voice was so sinister and amused.

'Ohh, little pumpkin. Sweet, cute little pumpkin. Your soft little mind is like putty. Easy to change and morph. It didn't take much to plague you. Maybe a bit longer than expected- you fought- but once I have the strength to be able to go out and face Jack, I can control the minds of children like you. Children who have- or in your case, had- everything and every reason to be afraid. So delicious, it is. When a child falls into your hands like a gift. Seems North pulled through for me this year!' fell into a fit of laughter. I just laid there, wide eyes glued to the ceiling in utter horror. Control my mind? Was that why… He caused the intense pain by controlling me? He could hurt my insides? Without even being here he can send me into physical pain?!

'Not quite. The mind is a powerful thing, little pumpkin. All the pain; all the emotions that I have and will inflict on you are all your imagination. I could do it before, but if a child could believe it wasn't real, it was useless. Now, I can lock you mentality into a state that believes anything I deem it to. Like… A puppet!' He cackled again. I just stared at the ceiling, wanting to cry. I was afraid. I was horrified. Maybe it would've been better in the darkness. Maybe if I had just accepted my stupid fate, I wouldn't be in this situation! Pitch had complete control over my mental state, and could do what he pleased with me. I think Jack has a reason to upset, now that I think about it.

...NOTE...

Blehblehbleh x.x This was a bit confusing, sorry. I hope it makes sense. I suppose, I'm sub-conciously doing that thing where I make you understand and feel like the main character... Yeahhhh


	7. NOTICE

**I know you all probably want to kick me in the face... But I swear I WILL update soon... At some point... School ends this Friday for me and final exams and reviews and projects and and and and and /override/ UGHHH just bear with me, okay? My mom's being a bit of a bitch and other stuff so... I'll try to get on to write saturday or sunday! I know this probably got you all excited 'cause you thought I was updating, but I needed you guys to know this. Alright! Mayday out :) See Y'all soon! (this applies to Pale Blue too x.x )**


	8. Scene 7

I mentally punched myself in the face after I had turned the corner. How freaking rude was THAT?! I mean, SURE, she gave one nightmare, but what I said was really insensitive. I slammed my head against a wall angrily.

"Oh! Are you okay Jack?" I glanced to the side and Tooth floated over to me with a worried expression. I sighed, looking back to the wall my forehead was against. How could I tell her I felt bad about being cautious, or rude to the little gi- Angelea.

"Jack?" She questioned again, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Did the girl do something?"

"Angelea."

"What?" Tooth blinked curiously.

"Oh… Uh… Her name… It's Angelea. And, not really. Nothing much happened. It was awkward though. You need to walk with her next time." I sighed, pulling from the wall to look at the fairy. Her face darkened and she shook her head.

"You know why North asked you to walk with her. You're really the only one capable of standing a chance against Pitch and his powers. Especially since we think that gi- uh… Angelea is being Shadowed by Pitch." Tooth said, shifting uncomfortably. They all thought that. And there was a high possibility. But, they all still blamed Angelea for it, though I'm not sure why. Being unable to control your actions, feelings, and mental stability seems pretty horrifying.

"Yeah… Whatever." I said, looking away. I wonder if Angelea hasn't been saying anything because she just can't. Maybe that's why she has those pain flashes. But who knows. Shadows and demons can be convincing, and we don't even know a single thing about her. For all we know, everything could be an act. In which case, I would have to destroy her after all.

...NOTE

Okay, It's short. But... Whatever. It's something until I can write a full Scene. (I'm calling them scenes because they aren't really chapters.)


	9. Scene 8

I knew I was awake before my eyes even opened, so didn't allow them to. For a few moments, I laid there, laying in bliss because of the fact I wasn't thinking about my situation. But it ended quickly and my eyes flashed open, flickering around the room. I sighed. Still here. Still trapped. Still having this freakish nightmare.

I slid out of the covers and hesitated to set my feet on the floor. I thought whether or not it was worth getting out of the plush, red bed. Whether or not it was worth leaving the comfort of its' sheets and facing the same old shifty looks. I was allowed to walk around on my own, but I knew they were still watching me. Pitch hadn't said anything in a few days, and I was afraid. I felt like a pawn, waiting for the player to move me. I got out of bed.

I went over to the mirror and stared at my foreign reflection. I looked different every time I looked into it. I could never place my finger on it, but something was changing. It scared me. I should know the person that looked back at me in the mirror, right? I turned from the hellish device and sat on a futon that was placed in front of the perpetually burning fireplace. I had started trying to remember myself. Trying to remember the person I used to be. Pitch said I died, but how? I thought if I could think hard enough I could remember, but I never could.

"Hey, Angelea. You up?" I almost fell off of the futon and looked behind me to the door.

"U-uh… Yeah. Come in, I guess." I replied. My voice had changed too. Not by much, but it did. Jack let himself in and looked at me. For a moment he just stared at me, not saying anything or making any movement. Just frozen. He looked away finally when I caught him.

"What do you want, Jack?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. I changed too. I felt… Unhappy. Like, I knew the difference between being upset because of the situation, but it… I felt like I was turning to stone. I felt slow and tired and a little bit pained.

"Nothing… Really, I suppose. It's just." He shut the door and sat on the edge of my bed. "Say something." He said, looking at me indirectly from the corner of his eye.

"What?" I inquired, bewildered. What does he mean 'say something'.

"Like… I don't know. It's just… We think… Well, are you?..." He stuttered and scratched the back of his neck.

"Am I what?" He just stared at me. I stared back. At first, I found it hard to stare into his cold, blue eyes, but I could do it easily now. I could stare back. And maybe, I could stare back with the same amount of hate. Jack was an asshole. Straight-up, no doubt about it. He was just mean. And I hated him. A lot.

"Are you… Like… Ugh, God, stop staring at me like that!" He suddenly snapped. I flinched back, looking away," Staring at you how?!" I hissed. Jerk. "Like you're about to rip my face off! You look like a rabid dog ready to eat a freaking rabbit! You know, maybe you are just some stupid nightmare Pitch decided to muffle up to mess with us!" He spat, obviously being even more assholey than usual. I stood up quickly, turning to face him, growling.

"Shut UP. YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR FACE RIPPED OFF! YOU ARE SUCH A BITCH AND WHINING ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THING THAT PISSES YOU OFF! I'M SICK OF YOU BEING A JERK TO ME, SO LEAVE ME ALONE! UNLESS YOU HAVE A CRA-" I gasped, clutching my stomach, breaking off from my rant.

'Young lady, hold your tongue.' I collapsed and knew Jack had jumped up from where he sat. I breathed heavily, wishing the pain to go away. I turned my head to look at Jack, and was met with a harshly thrown ice-ball.

"I felt sorry for you because we thought you were being Shadowed by Pitch! But it looks not! Guess your innocent little façade gave up, huh?! The only BITCH here is YOU!" The door slammed and I was alone. Again. I laid there for several minutes, willing myself to stay silent. But I couldn't. They came anyways. I sobbed.

'Oh, now, little pumpkin, don't cry! Now you know I was right. Jack is just a jerk, hm?' Pitch cooed in my ear, and for the first time in a week, he formed himself in the room. He leaned down, and brushed my hair softly. He had been right. Jack was a jerk. I hated him. I hated him so much. He's such a-

"Haha, don't get carried away, little pumpkin." Pitch sat me up, brushing stray hairs from my face. He had become much kinder lately since he knew how mean Jack was being to me.

"Why did you let them take me here? I hate it." I sniffled. The stone feeling was coming back. It felt like my heart was solidifying, but… Did it hurt? No…

"To show you I was right. I'm sorry it had to be like that, but I knew you wouldn't understand unless I showed you just how terrible they are. Would you like to come back with me now? Do you understand? Will you trust me?" He smiled. I looked into his face. It was soft looking, light gray, and welcoming. His golden eyes promised me. Promised something… But what?... He was rude at first, and scary, but now, he looked at me kindly and told me he did it because he wanted me to understand.

"I trust you."

…...NOTE…..

Urghblegh…. Yeahahahahaha…. I know…. This is barely even close to three pages on Word (which is my mainly vowed length), but I make SCENES, gaiz. From POV's…. EXCUSES, BLECH. Here, have something to munch on for a while.


	10. Scene 9

I was so PISSED! The little brat! Pretending to be in pain, acting all innocent, getting everyone to think she was some victim! The NERVE! Well, not anymore! I flung Norths' office doors open, causing the man to practically fall over. I was so upset and threw the doors so hard, the amount of wind it made caused the candles to blow out and knocked over some of his ice toys. I could feel bad later.

"Jack!" He growled.

"That little BRAT is a liar and deserves to be shoved right back into that sack!" I spat, slamming my staff into the ground. Norths' face became suffused with confusion, anger, and shock. I don't think he'd ever seen me so mad. But why was I so mad? If she was just an annoying little liar, I shouldn't feel so strongly. I didn't feel this angry with Pitch when he tried that whole charade so long ago, so why was I so mad at a girl who'd just lied to me?

"What on earth are you talking about, Jack?!" Tooth fluttered in, Sandy and Bunny following suit. Apparently I had made such a racket, everyone heard. Great, really, now I won't have to just repeat myself 4 times.

"I went in to ask her like you SAID, and she looked at me like she was going to throw me into a woodchipper! Then she had a hissy-fit and got another weird so-called pain flash! She's lying and her façade is up and there is NO WAY IN HELL I am going to deal with her!" I hissed, spitting acid as much as possible. I was absolutely furious, and nobody was going to change my mind.

"Jack! You left her there in pain?" Tooth said accusingly. I glared at her and snapped," Did you not just hear a WORD I said?! She's a liar! A liar and a-"

Suddenly, Norths' entire workshop, maybe even the whole building, echoed with laughter. _HIS _laughter.

"Oh GOD, Jack! She was right! You're the one throwing a hissy-fit! Screaming like you are, you might as well be her!"

"Shut up, Pitch." Everyone's jaws dropped and looked around. But she wasn't anywhere near. It had been her alright, but she wasn't there! Could she have the same abilities?

"Ohohoho, don't be so mean, little pumpkin. If you're going to take your anger out on someone, have it be them!~"

Everyone looked at me, "I told you all. She's a liar." I stated, feeling slightly smug.

"Trap it, Frost." We turned and the shadows in the room swirled violently and centered in one point and melted away like flower petals to reveal Angelea, standing straight, glaring at us with… Golden eyes? She didn't have gold eyes, she had purple. How were they gold…

"Or better yet, I'll trap it for you." She smirked, and her soft, child-like features twisted into a malicious and hateful grin. She held out her hands and the shadows, like they were following the commands of their master, encircled her hands, forming into shifty but also somehow solid daggers.

"Try me, brat. You're outnumbered." I said, bearing my staff and everyone else got ready, Sandy taking front.

"Oh please. You're out-skilled." She purred, her voice dripping with poison, and the next few moments were a blur of her auburn hair, the shadows, Sandy whipping and everyone springing into action. I could keep track of her, she melted into the shadows and disappeared after just a moment.

"Augh…" I turned and saw Tooth holding her cheek, Bunny asking her to move her hands. I walked over, glancing around cautiously. I knew she was watching. Why had she only hit Tooth?

"I cannot 'eel my mouf." She choked and moved her hands. We all gasped when we saw the blood dripping plentifully from her nose and lips.

"Oh my God, Tooth, open up." Bunny demanded, and she obeyed. It was terrible. What looked like 4 teeth had been ripped from Tooths' gums.

" 'Y 'eef!" She sobbed while North found a hanker chief at his desk, running over to clean off her face. I growled and looked around, trying to find the golden eyes staring at us. She had just done the unforgivable. None of us would take that, none of us.

"Hehehehehehe! Oh, grow up, you baby. It was only a few! I wanted to take more, but that would have lagged me." Angelea cackled.

"Angelea!" I spat, running out of the room. I would find her. I would find her and I would break every bone in her little body.

* * *

(LOL POV change for Angelea. Just to, ya know, give the effect of her not being conscious of herself anymore.)

She slowly melted back into the center of the dome-shaped room, eyes filled with determination at first, but once she was fully filled, they faded and became soulless. She stood still as Pitch glided over to her, clapping.

"Bravo, BRA-vo! Good show in-deed!" He laughed, leaning on her head. She didn't move, didn't change expression, nothing. "It took forever, but you are finally capable of almost everything I am! Splendid!" He exclaimed, opening his arms wide, like a conductor after a piece.

"Thank-you." She said; monotone; dead.

"You're such a wonderful little girl, really." Pitch said, turning back to face her and kneel to hold Angeleas' face. "So empty and full of pain! Most of which didn't even come from this. Oh, I was looking through your memories earlier, and such a wonderfully painful life you had! Oh it was great! Next time, you should tell Tooth to keep better watch on her little palace! Her own teeth too! Do you have them?" He inquired the doll. Her hand sunk into a pocket and pulled out four teeth, coated with dried blood and handed them to Pitch.

"Oh Spect-ACTULAR! Toothfairys' own teeth!" He exclaimed, disappearing into the shadows. Angelea began to walk, or really began to march out of the room and to the ring of sidewalk surround the small chasm that was Pitchs' palace.

"So Jack named you Angelea? How ironic! Did you know that means 'Weary Angel'? So fitting, really, and Jack doesn't even know. Ha." He cackled, the noise echoing off the circular walls. She stopped in front of big, concrete, designed, double doors, staring blankly at the cracks in the rock.

"You should rest for a while. You aren't fully a spirit, so you tire easily." Pitch said, the amusement leaving his voice as he appeared next to the shorter girl. She nodded and walked through the rock, turning into a dark form and sliding through the cracks.

"Have sweet dreams, my golden eyed angel." He mused, disappeared, and the chasm became empty.

* * *

AMG... Wat's happenin'- how'djhfbowuiailu don't ask me. I wont answer. Merry Christmas.

EDIT: BTW, you guys are great! I lurve you all so much and I feel hhappy knowing you all like the story! I know theres a lot of spelling errors or word issues, I'm just s eager to get chapters to you all I make mistakes. I seriously wouldn't keep writing w/o you guys' support! If you guys want to see a few pictures of Angelea and Jack I drew, here's my deviantArt name: Scarletteletas

Knock yourselves out. Again, thank you all so much 333


	11. Scene 10

Angelea didn't show for a week. No attacks on us; no attacks on kids; nothing. Tooth started growing her teeth back because after all, she's the Toothfairy. I'm sure she could make everyone have 50 teeth or just 1 if she wanted. I could never forgive anyone, let alone Angelea, for doing such a terrible and painful thing to my friend. I narrowed my eyes at the wooden ceiling as I laid on Jamie's bed. I was visiting the kid, as I had promised so long ago.

"Are you okay, Jack?" Jamie inquired, finally speaking against the silence between us as he worked n his homework. I'm sure he had wanted to ask earlier, but wasn't sure. I sighed heavily, wondering whether or not to tell the boy.

"Jack. Seriously. It's weird not having you jumping around making me hurry so we can play outside." Jamie said, putting down his pencil and looking at me. He was genuinely concerned, and I guess he deserves to know since he's my best friend.

"Well… We have a little problem, I suppose." I started, sitting up and rubbing my neck awkwardly. Jamie looked very serious," Don't tell me Pitch is back." I sighed and he knew it was a yes. "Don't worry, Jack. We can defeat him easily like last time." He smiled confidently and I shook my head. "It's not him doing the acts. It's a girl nightmare he's created." I responded sadly. Sadly? Did I still for some reason pity her? Stupid Jack.

"A… Nightmare girl? I thought Pitch used weird horses. Is she made of black sand too?" Jamie thought, making a good point. Angelea wasn't sand. And she wasn't shadows. She was a physical being- more or less. She was touchable but wasn't painful or weird to. She looked like a person, like me or North or Jamie. If she wasn't a composition of sand or shadow- how was she a made-up nightmare?

"Yeah… Wait, no, she isn't sand. Which is weird. She looks like a person. Like a real person." Jamie nodded and then shook his head. "Then she couldn't be a nightmare… Right?" I nodded. "What I thought exactly… Tooth also said something about Pitch having an unknown power to control humans; mainly children."

"She's probably in that situation." Jamie shrugged. But how? Even if she was she seemed fine with it. But what if she wasn't and that was Pitch making her think she was? If that was the case, that would explain why she lied about not knowing what happened to her before we found her. She would have to have been a person before she was controlled, too. So if she was a person… Who was she, exactly?

...ADDED BIT...

She laid silently in a darkly furnished room, large golden eyes staring at the ceiling. Though her body seemed docile, in her mind, she was screaming…

~Hehe, POV change again~

I was in the darkness again. This time, it was even worse than the first darkness and definitely not warm like the second one. How could I have been so STUPID?! I was mad at Jack, oh yes, but didn't he have a perfectly valid reason?! I had even told myself that before, but obviously I'm too ridiculously IDIOTIC and selfish to have realized the consequence for giving my mentality/body to a psycho creepy spirit of fear and darkness. Stupid, stupid, STUPID. I screamed but the darkness choked me. I wanted out, so bad. I regretted being rude to Jack. I regretting not giving Pitch the finger and saying what was wrong. I regretted not having the guts to fight back against Pitch and now THIS happens! How am I not even frightened right now?

"You're extremely angry, little pumpkin." Pitch laughed into the darkness. Freaking ass. He laughed again. "You jerkish, lying, selfish, dirty, terrible, old man!" I screeched before choking again. I was angry! Of course I was! He'd lied twice! Guess it's like the old saying, Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

"Oh, yes, I do like that saying. Makes sense." He cackled. I fumed. He was so freaking… UGH.

"How about we go play again, mm?" I gasped, now seriously wanting to punch him. If it's what is takes, I don't care if Jack has to beat Pitch out of me.

…..

Heh… added a bit more…. Teehee…. /)_(\


	12. Scene 11

**Omg, don't kill me plz. Like, I have valid reasons, okay?**

**1. I had a lot of family issues this past few months and they really stressed me out and kept me busy**

**2. I had writer's block- LIKE SERIOUS writers block and I wasnt sure how I'd go about this**

**3. I was an idiot and forgot my password. Genius, right?**

**4. School was starting up and my teachers are relentless PAP teachers.**

**But will continue writing! Here.**

* * *

Silent pitter-pattering of frigid rain sung the brunette child to sleep. A calm, sprinkling night and not a dream faltered. The Guardians had been careful. Jack and the others went on vivid alert and relentlessly watched over the children of the world, examining ever nook and crevice for the daughter of fear. She had disappeared but that never stopped the Guardians watch. Presently, the winter soul was perched alight his brunette friends home and was boredly freezing the water on the roof into fanciful designs. Nothing was happening, and the spirit of fun was restless.

"Stupid Pitch... Angelea... Stupid, dumb, ridiculous.." Jack mumbled angrily. He stilled fumed over the girl and how strange she was. Her wavy auburn hair. Dark, reflectively purple eyes. And such a face that melted the spirits cold, frozen world. And he hated that. So contradictive of him and so peculiar, just too much that Jack could not willingly say he liked her. And while Jack pondered his feelings for her, the said creature was oozing into the very house he sat upon. Jamie's.

"Pitch," whispered the girl once she had fully solidified into the room," Who is this boy?" Her monotone voice was unnerving and dead-like. So unanimated and dull.

"Well~" He purred into her empty mind," Jack is quite fond of the boy. In fact, he's on the roof. Don't you think how amusing it would be to us to watch him become furious with himself for letting us steal his dearest friend right under his nose?" A sly and evil smirk crossed the girls pale lips and she slid like ozzing blood to the boys side and sat down carefully. "Or even better," She replied," Why not make him watch the boy suffer?" Pitch laughed and gleefully said,

"Oh, my, how wonderfully sick you are. I love it. Well, go on, have your fun. I'll just watch."

And with a soft kiss onto Jamie's forehead, the girl had disappeared, but the black bruise beginning to form where her lips had touched, had not.

* * *

The storm had halted and the sun was coming up to chase the remaining threatening clouds away. Jamie had spent all night, tossing and turning and when he awoke, he felt no better. His head ached with a sort of vicious burn and his stomach was doing flips. He groaned audibly and smiled weakly when his friend dropped down into his window from the roof.

"Yo, Jamie. What's with the racket?" Jack joked, smirking to himself as he floated into the room. Jamie was about to reply, but a pulse ran through his skull and he yelped, gripping it a swift fling, Jack was by Jamie's side.

"Woah, what's wrong?", Jack gasped, suddenly very worried. Jamie groaned again and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as another pulse of pain shuttered through his skull and stayed there.

"Jamie!"

* * *

**I'd totally write more, but its kinda 11 right now and I have tests int he morning. I also feel like writing smut. Yeah. Anywhore /suddenlysayscusswordsomg/, I got shit to do and places to be, so yeah.**


	13. Scene 12

The day was bright, the sun blessing the cold Earth with its perpetual warmth. Golden leaves danced on sidewalks and gardens as his old friend attempted to cheer him up, but nothing would cheer him. Not right now. It had been almost a week, and Jamie's fever had only gotten worse. Jack was afraid for his friend, waiting patiently (not really) for his recovery. That wasn't the only thing on his mind, though, it seemed as though copious amounts of children all over the world were contracting this strange fever. The Guardians were becoming frustrated because no mattered how long and attentive they were to all the believing children, they were getting sick. That was another thing- it was only children who believed who were getting the fever, not adults or non-believers. Jack was positive it was Pitch, again. Nothing else could be it.

"J-jack..." A soft gasp woke him from his deep thinking and he up and floated over to his friends bedside.

"Hey, kid, how ya' feeling?" Jack smiled weakly. The small boys eyes drooped with painful exhaustion and he tried to reach out for Jack, but his arm fell limp and his eyes fluttered shut again. This had happened on and off. He would wake, moan, and be knocked out again. Jack resisted it. He fought it. He sat on the ground, pulled his knees up to his chest and like a stubborn child, huffed. It was no use. He cried. They were cold, angry and sad tears, fueled by a rage towards the high suspect of this damage. He stood swiftly, wiping away the tears that still threatened in his eyes. He stormed to the window and promptly catapaulted himself out. He knew where he was going.

Pitch knew where he was going, and _oh boy_ would he love this.

While Jack muled over ways to rip Pitch's spine out and beat him with it, the said offender was presently trying to get Angelea to comply. Though in almost full control of her body, her mind was strong and a body is no use without the brain.

"Oh, Pumpkin, now dont get so riled up. Why not just sit back and enjoy the show? You wont really have to do a thing!"

The narrowed eyes gave no sign of hearing or agreement. Pitch was losing his patience and Jack was soon to arrive and his Guest of Honor refused to get into dress.

"Oh little one, please, you dont want me to frighten you now would I?"

A sharp flinch and the body suddenly relaxed. Pitch smiled. "Good girl." Man, how bad Angelea wanted to rip his stupid hair out.

She didn't want to hurt Jack or his human friend, and she was still frustrated that there wasn't much she could really do about anything. She allowed Pitch to make the body do whatever he needed; she was contemplated things. First off, how could she fight to get her body back? Any time she tried to mentally force the darkness out, Pitch would...

She didn't want to think of it. He did terrible things. Tortured her mind and body and sent her sanity spiraling downward- and what could she do? Scream at him? Not much to a spirit of fear and darkness. Probably only fueled the fire. She scratched her head and sighed.

Wait. Did she just? She moved her arms and looked around. Did she have?... 'Oh my god.' She thought happily and stood. She was too excited to realized the snow haired boy slip into the great chasm and perch on a bird cage to watch her. She laughed giddily. She knew she wasn't free, but it was nice to have physical control over her body. She twirled and relished the ability to feel fabric against her skin again. Being in just the state of an imaginary being makes one realize how simple things feel.

"Enjoying yourself." She gasped and turned around in a 360, not aware of the position of the very familiar cold voice.

"Jack..." She gasped weakly. What would he do to her. He blamed her for the horrible things happening- and they were her fault, but she didn't know how to stop them.

"Jack, I- AUH!" She had begun to try and make up some sort of defense against the angry boy, back a sharp icicle slammed into her arm, and ink splattered against the dirty concrete.

"Jack, PLEASE! For just a mo-" another icicle shot into her leg and she collapsed.

"You vile, disgusting..." shot after shot of icicles pummeled her back, but she clawed into the ground and stiffened against the onslaught of ice.

"Lying little BRAT from HELL!" He snarled and after about the 30th frozen bullet, hopped from his perch, landing in the now forming pool of inkish blood.

"I wonder if you can die." He hissed.

"Haaahhh... Hopefully." Angelea gasped painfully.

"Me too." He spat coldly and rammed the butt of his staff into her back, driving a icicle or two deeper into her skin. A blood curdling scream broke her silent barrier and she tried to pull herself away. He slammed the staff back onto the corner of her dress and stepped on the back of her calf and drove his heel into it. Another screech, but it was accompanied by a violent pulling of body from attacker. She staggered away and slammed into a wall opposing of Jack position. He stared at her and the trail of ink blood. She was sobbing violently and shaking, but made no move of attack. The black blood dripped from her nose and mouth and she looked at him pitifully.

"Done, Jack?" A melodic voice that had plagued her thoughts for weeks finally called. She winced and pulled a now melting icicle from her leg. Jack pulled his attention from the mistake propped against the wall like a marionette, and armed his staff, searching for the source.

"With?" He asked cautiously.

"Beating her, of course. What a nice little show to start with!" Both Jack and Angelea looked around in shock. He allowed Jack to beat her? Why?

"You'll be happy to hear, I won't need to run from you and your 'Guardian' friends any more, so we can have playdates in person now!" A dark mass of smoke formed from the ink that was spilled on the floor and both persons watched;one in fear and shock, and the other in anger.

Pitch, now standing with an amused smirk looked over his shoulder at Angelea.

"Don't look so blue, little pumpkin, I wont kick you out just yet." And with that, he waved his hand the the remaining black blood slowly flowed back to Angelea and returned to the wounds that they had originated from.

"You look like a porcupine, sweets." Pitch laughed, gesturing to the melting icicles protruding from the small girls back. She stared at him wide eyed and silent.

"You want to be a porcupine,too, Pitch?" Jack threatened.

Pitch turned to face him, smiling evilly. "Oh yes. Definitely."


	14. Scene 13

Pitch and Jack stared at each other intently for a long time, measuring the other up. Angelea slowly, and quietly stood, using the wall for support. She watching both carefully and fearfully as she inch-by-inch scooted along the wall to the arch leading into a maze of halls.

"Angelea, where do you think you're going?" Pitch's hard stare down with Jack shifted to look menacingly at the little girl attempting a futile escape. She was so upset. So mad and hurt and done. Her back was on fire, she was confused, and out of her mind. She... She she she... a sharp pain cracked through my head.

She?... Who is she? When had I... I? I. Me.

MY head. My mind. My body, dammit. This was the problem. I was letting him. I was afraid. I stared at my hands, sight blurring and shaking. It was my goddamned body. I slowly looked up at Pitch. I hadn't even been in my own fucking mind this entire time. She she she! I hadn't even talked about myself as 'I'. _He_ was speaking through me. Telling me how I felt and that I feared him.

"You..."

He had controlled every last piece of my consciousness.

"Pumpkin?" He glared. He was trying to control he- ME. Me me me. He was trying to control _me _in the one place I should have my own solitude and identity.

"Don't." And hell, I was not standing for it.

"Ever." Not again. I won't.

"Call me..." His eyes widened and he stepped back. It was his turn to be afraid. His turn to be trapped into his own conscious.

"_PUMPKIN._" I screamed. I howled at him, forcing my unwilling legs into a dash and running for screamed back in protest, but I was furious. Wrath seeping into every crevice he once owned, but will never take hold of again. Because fear, no matter how strong, is always a choice. And I choose... My choice... Is to beat his pale ass. Darkness encircled my wrists and in a fluid, almost inhumanly smooth jump and tackle, I pinned him down and began punching. I heard Jack shouting, but I didn't care. He wasn't important right now. I had been so busy being afraid... So busy letting him in that I didn't notice how he made me felt. He had ALWAYS had control. Godammit, since the very moment he spoke in the darkness, I had been afraid and let him in. I had never resisted him, but now I was.

Blow after vicious blow, the darkness he infused into me kept him captive as I used every power of his own imaginable to beat him mentally and physically. At last, I breathed, paused, and stood, pulling my fist back, summoning the gases leaking from every orifice in his beaten body. He looked old, and worn and his eyes were almost closed and he breathed hard, twitching and trying to bring his body to stand, but I slammed a heel into his chest.

"I will NEVER fear you again." I spat, spitting acidic black into his eyes. The gases hardened around my fist and I slammed the blob of solid, marble like rock into the spirit of darkness' skull.

He vanished. His body exploded into black sand and flew around. I stayed locked in the punching position for a few moments before standing straight and taking a heavy breath.

"An... Gelea?..." I turned. I had completely forgotten he was even there. Wide blue eyes staring at me in awe and shock. We shared eye contact, but I felt my body begin to give me post-stress in every muscle and nerve.

"Jack..." I gasped, and began to wobble. He looked conflicted, and didn't come to catch me as I collapsed. My entire head throbbed with pain, but I didn't care. I had won. I had beaten the old bastard at his own game. And I was free. At least, I hoped so.

* * *

It was peaceful. Dark, but warm. No echoing of laughter, no chill down my spine, and no restraints. I relished it. Loving and cherishing the feeling of self-control and awareness. My eyes fluttered open wearily, and were met with a familiar scene. A warm glow, and flush furniture. Warm bed and blanket. I had been here before, but I was a different person. Was I? God, I don't even want to try and think deeply right now, my head felt like it was imploding. I stared at the ceiling and sighed happily. At least Jack didn't just leave me there. That would have sucked to wake up there.

"I see someone's awake."

I sat up slowly, not startled to hear Mr. Claus' voice.

"Awake and feeling like a million bucks." I laughed, running hand through my hair. It was loose. Not in that braid anymore. But ew, it was tangled as hell. I turned my head to look at the large man sitting in the plush chair.

"Interesting..." He murmured, eyes curious but careful.

"What?"

"You aren't timid and pale anymore." I stared at him. No. I wasn't Because I wasn't afraid.

"Well, when you're being possessed by a spirit of fear, it's a bit hard to keep composure." I replied. Wow. I really did sound different. Did I always possess this mood and voice? I hadn't known.

"So it's true. You weren't just doing it freely. That's good to know."

"Yeah, I was internally screaming, trust me." I snorted. I scooted the blankets off of my leg and stared. I was changed. Instead of the black dress, it was light blue sleepwear.

"Uh, why-"

"Tooth was thrilled to find out you weren't a minion and insisted we treated you like a guest. Went out and somehow acquired new clothes for you. Weird girl." Claus spoke calmly.

"Oh... I'll have to thank her."

"Mhm..."

We stared at each other for a long time. I knew he was like the Guardians main guy, based off of how he acted and whatever, but I didn't understand what kind of person he was.

"So." He leaned forward in his chair.

"We have a small problem we're hoping you can fix."

* * *

**Ohhh look at me updating hahahahahahahahahahahaha. I dunno why, but I can't say I like this chapter all that much. Tell me if I should revise it or change something.**


	15. Scene 14

It was painful. Probably even more for him, but still, looking at his fragile body hurt. He looked so sickly and drained. Brown hair messed and plastered against his pillow like he'd been there for a while. Freckles standing out even more because of his paleness, but still washed too.

"Pitch... Did this?" I whispered softly. Jack, North, Tooth, Bunny, and I all stood near the window, watching Jaime's mother sob quietly while she kneeled at his side. The room felt sick and dark and a lot like when Pitch had control over me. The boy was barely even breathing, and I didn't need to glance at Jack to know we was probably resisting the urge to cry as well.

"We are pretty sure. It's hit at least a seventh of all the children mapped on our globe, and so far no cure or diagnose has been made. All the kids who have contracted this receive the same symptoms. First, vicious coughing fits and constant fainting. Next, they become too weak to leave bed and lose weight. And the final stage is a coma-like state." A choked sob came from Jack's direction, but I didn't want to look.

"Final.. Stage? You mean this has?..." I looked up at North; his expression was hard.

"Killed."

A long pause and I looked back to Jaime. He stirred slightly, eyebrows tensing and he whimpered.

"How long has this been going on?"

North sighed. "Well, the first sign was about 2 weeks ago. Jamie was the first we knew that had gotten it, and his case was different. We believe he's the source."

"How is he different?" I tilted my head. Most of the kids they had shown me earlier acted the same as Jamie, so what was different?

"Well," Tooth spoke this time, floating over above Jamie," he didn't really have the first two stages. He had swift episodes, then got the coma. That and... This." She brushed his hair away, revealing a dark bruise on his forehead. I walked closer to the bed and peered over him to look closer. The bruise was pulsating slightly, and seemed almost parasite like.

"Oh my god..." I murmured. I straightened back up and looked helplessly at North. "How can you expect me to help? I was pretty much either unaware of what my body was doing, or being beaten mentally this entire time." I scratched my neck, tugging slightly at the tag on the black t-shirt Tooth had gotten a hold of for me.

"Well. Since it seems as though the darkness Pitch had discovered he could control is feeding off of Jaime's... Soul or mentality or... We aren't sure; that you could possibly draw it out." North explained, albeit, not very well, but he tried.

"Hmm..." I looked at Jamie. I felt so terrible. I had been apart of this. Putting children through such pain and causing trauma for their families. I don't understand how I could help him, nor did I think I could even control the darkness. Pitch, as far as we knew, was gone, and if it only followed his commands, then who knows how this whole ordeal would turn out.

"Please..."

Everyone froze and looked at the edge of Jaime's bed. His mother was staring at me! No... I turned and realized she was staring at the wall behind me. It was covered. Papers of all colors, shapes, and sizes were thumb-tacked into the wall. And each one was a drawing of the Guardians. Some contained all of them, some had only Jack, but each was sketched out and had goofy sayings on them.

"Praying isn't working..." She gasped again.

Jack choked.

"And I don't understand how he could make you all up and believe so strongly to this day... So please..." She wiped tears off of her cheeks, sniffling. "Please... protect my baby..."

Jack couldn't even stop himself anymore. He flopped down on the floor, and shoved his face into his hands. He sobbed and Tooth hugged him gently and whispered kindly to him. They all were teary eyed. I couldn't imagine how they must feel. Helpless. They were supposed to be Guardians. Protectors of children, and yet here they were, watching one of them die without anything they could do about it. I looked back to Jaime and breathed heavily. And here I was, the only one with the slightest chance of helping, doubting and refusing to help. I thought for a few moments before coming to an idea. I kneeled on the bed, leaning over the small boy carefully. I brushed all of his bangs away and looked angrily at the bruise on his head. I leaned my head down and softly planted a kiss of his forehead, right over the bruise.

It felt weird. The strange evil, darkness that was contained in him, rushed all to that one contact point, built up, and pushed it's way into me. I pulled away abruptly and staggered backwards. The dark strands of ribbon-like poison trailed through the air briefly before seeping into me. I gasped, the pain first exploding in my abdomen then into my head and it was like the first time Pitch used it to control me too. That must have been what it was. A way to gain control over a child's mind and force them into fear. Only, it was way too strong, and made them severely ill. The only reason it worked with me was probably because I was already dead. So it was trying to control me again. I landed on the floor with a loud thud and heard North and Bunny come over to help me. I gripped my head and focused. Focused on controlling it instead. Focused on keeping my own conscious.

I sat for what felt like forever battling the force, but it was probably only a minute because when the pain subsided, Jack had just stopped crying and was staring wide-eyed at the bed. They all were. I pushed myself up and leaned onto North for support slightly.

Jaime's eyes were open.

Albeit, droopy and his skin still was washed, but still. He was awake.

"M-mom..." He croaked, seeing her sobbing into the blankets. She froze and slowly looked up. "J-jaime... Jaime. JAIME!" She gasped and practically jumped on him with a hug.

"My god, I thought you were gone... My baby... My baby..." She cried, squeezing him. He choked slightly, but smiled into her embrace. He couldn't lift his arms, but he gently gripped her shirt anyways.

But the best part, was the simple yet fantastic fact, that the bruise was gone.


End file.
